How Long After Jesus Death Were The Gospels Written (And Why)?

How Long After Jesus Death Were The Gospels Written (And Why)?

Exact Answer: After around 40 years

One of the most popular and highly practiced religions in the whole world is Christianity. And the sacred text of this religion, which is followed by a lot of the population is the Bible. Among these, one of the four books, which profounds and enlightens the teachings and life lessons of Jesus Christ is known as Gospel.

The traditions and culture of Jesus’ ministry and passion were embarked, remembered, and then was written in this highly respected text. But it is a matter of fact that, this whole Gospel is not written by Jesus Christ and only contains his life and sayings. Therefore, it is after forty years of Jesus’ death, when this Gospel was written.

How Long After Jesus Death Were The Gospels Written

How Long After Jesus Death Were The Gospels Written?

Timeline of The Writing of Gospel70- 90 AD.
Years It Took To Write Gospel40 Years.
Last Gospel Writtenin the 7th Century.

Around 70 AD, it is when everything about Gospel came into work. This time is almost after 40 years of the sacred death of Jesus Christ when his words and sayings were transferred into the textual form. This whole gospel contains five sections of Gospel. They are named Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian. But in this modern period, hardly one knows about all the fifth sects and people never read the first four.

However, the Gospel reflects the same life lessons of Christ but reflects very different ideas and concerns. The four Gospels of the new testament were almost completed after a century of Jesus’ death. The writing timeline of the Gospels fluctuates over its sects. Like, the Gospel of Marks probably dates from 66-70 AD, the Gospel of Matthew and Luke’s dates from 85-90 AD, and that of John states 90-110 AD.

Although with all these different timelines, it is purely confessed by most of the anonymous scholars that, none of this were written keeping an eyewitness. It is mostly believed by the scholars that; the Bible was passed on to the different parts of the world and people by the word of mouth. It is the form of oral tales and poetry that played a significant role in disseminating the Bible. Eventually, with the invention of the manuscript and printing press, these stories were collected and were penned down.

Jesus Death

Hence it is after almost forty years of Jesus’ death when the penning down of the Gospel was started and it took almost a century for the completion of the whole Gospel, which was completed in 110 AD.

Why Were The Gospels Written So Long After Jesus Death?

It was never like as if the authors of the Gospel didn’t intend to initiate anything for forty years and suddenly decided to write down stories about Jesus after forty years. But it is like, people never thought of writing down Jesus’ sayings ever. Early Christians believed that they do not need to write down these things because Jesus would again regain birth and would come again to judge the living of life and death within their lifetimes.

Hence it took some time for the people to understand the ultimate truth of life, which is death, and then only the words and sayings were inked and verbally transferred to people. Although all the Gospels speak the words of Jesus Christ, in the 19th century the scholars believed that the Gospel of Mark, which is also famous for the theory of Markan priority, is the most reliable and accurate one. Both the Gospels of John and Mark initiate our life into the case of, Jesus as an adult already. Here, Jesus is about to begin his ministry.

Jesus Death

But, one beginner should start reading the Gospel from Luke’s Gospel. It is more enchanting and delightful, and it also contains all the key elements of Jesus’ life. It is a comprehensive book and is easy for a beginner to focus on. It is also believed that at that time the importance of memorizing was considered so important that, it was believed unnecessary and ungrateful to write down the teachings and life decisions of the Lord. Hence these are the reasons, why it took so long after Jesus’ death to write the Gospel.

Conclusion

The whole Bible has been divided into two testaments. They are the old testament and new testament and, they both together make up the whole sacred text of the Bible. However, the last Bible was written in the late 7th century by St. John the Evangelist. It was a manuscript illumination from the Lindisfarne’s Gospels. It is deeply considered that John is the last and final Gospel and in different ways, a way different from the Synoptic Gospels.

Hence it is the way people believed and the way they thought that Jesus is going to come back and judge their life living is the reason, why it took so much time to get the Gospel penned down.       

Reference

  1. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=aZZ1BwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=How+Long+After+Jesus+Death+Were+The+Gospels+Written%3F&ots=IjzXKc2T-6&sig=TTM8Gxy8wwLPtI6Or0IaWVAiNNM
  2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3GdyCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=How+Long+After+Jesus+Death+Were+The+Gospels+Written%3F&ots=2Yyt09g-La&sig=NQ_NGQCjAUPk29goQR0DS5l6sjo
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30 Comments

  1. The history of the origin of the Gospels is fascinating. The timeline of their writing gives us insight into the early Christian beliefs and traditions.

  2. The historical context and timelines of Gospel writing provide valuable context for understanding the development of Christian faith and tradition.

  3. The reasons for the delay in Gospel writing after Jesus’ death raise thought-provoking questions about the early Christian mindset and beliefs.

  4. The reasons behind the delay in writing the Gospel after Jesus’ death provide intriguing insights into the early Christian mindset and beliefs.

  5. The division of the Bible into two testaments and the historical context surrounding the writing of the Gospel is a cornerstone of Christian tradition.

  6. It’s surprising to think that the Gospels were written so long after Jesus’ death. I wonder how much the stories changed through oral tradition.

  7. The long timeline of Gospel writing is an intriguing aspect of Christian history. It’s fascinating to consider how these stories have shaped beliefs and traditions.

  8. The elaborate process of Gospel writing and the reasons behind its delay are important aspects of understanding the historical and cultural roots of Christianity.

  9. The writing timeline of the Gospels provides valuable insights into the development of Christian beliefs and practices over time. It’s a critical part of understanding the history of Christianity.

  10. The Gospel has had a profound impact on society and culture, despite being written so long after Jesus’ death.

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